it as much as she indicated, made that idea take hold firmly.
“Hey, Sean? You back here?”
Turning their bodies in unison with their arms still around each other, he looked toward the side of the house and saw Brock walking slowly through the gate. As soon as Brock’s gaze landed on the two of them, he halted, his eyes wide. Sean recognized his best friend’s shock, knowing Sean never brought women to his house.
“Whoa, sorry. I wasn’t expecting… I didn’t know…”
“Brock, man. What the hell are you doing here?” Glancing to the side, he watched Harper nervously brush her hair behind her ears before smoothing her hands over the bottom of her shirt. Whispering, he assured, “You look perfect, babe. Come and meet my best friend.”
Brock’s expression morphed into a wide smile as Sean stalked toward him, Harper in tow. “Harper, it’s nice to meet you.”
Sean watched as her hand was engulfed in Brock’s and grinned.
“It’s nice to meet you as well, but… weren’t you just… um… shot?” Her eyes were wide as her gaze swung between Brock and Sean. Settling back on Brock, she added, “I’ve heard a lot about you, and in fact, I met your parents last night at the same time that I met Sean’s.”
Shaking his head while laughing, Brock said, “If you had dinner at Sharon and Colm’s, then I’m not surprised you met my parents also. The McBrides and Kings go way back. And yes, I did get shot but needed to get out of the house.”
“Where’s Kallie?”
“She went into the station. I’m supposed to be resting but thought it would be a good time to sneak out and visit Sean.”
“Come on in,” Sean invited. “We’re just getting ready to have breakfast.”
Giving his head a shake, Brock declined. “Thanks, but I’m not going to cut into your time.”
“No, please, stay. That is, if you feel like it,” Harper insisted. “I don’t want to interfere with the little time you two have to get together.”
Sean held Brock’s gaze, seeing the unspoken question in his eyes, and nodded, confirming that he shared Harper’s insistence.
The three walked through the back door and into the kitchen. Harper moved to the coffee pot, pouring three mugs as Sean scrambled eggs. Showing an ease in Sean’s kitchen, she popped the bagels into the toaster before retrieving the butter and jam.
Over breakfast, Sean and Brock regaled Harper with stories of their childhood as well as teenage adventures along with a few misadventures. Brock managed to keep the tales PG for which Sean was grateful. Keeping an eye on Harper, he was thrilled to see that she appeared excited to learn more about him, including his best friend.
“So, your dads studied astronomy?” She scrunched her nose as she peered between them. “Was that their hobby?”
Brock nodded, another grin spreading across his face. “Yeah. I just figured it was kind of weird when we were kids, but now that I look back, I think it was a real stress reliever.”
“I can see that. Their jobs, like yours now, are stressful,” she said, her gaze shifting to Sean. “Do you still look at the stars?”
Both men chuckled at the same time. “I wish I had the time,” Sean admitted, and Brock nodded his agreement. Staring at Harper, an image of her with him and their children running around hit him. “But with this backyard and the idea of children, I might get my own telescope sometime.”
Harper blushed, and Brock choked out a laugh. “Subtle, man,” Brock teased.
The conversation turned to Harper, and Brock took the time to find out more about her, offering congratulations on becoming a fire investigator. As breakfast came to a close, Brock looked at Sean and asked, “Heard you were out late with another case last night.”
Sighing, Sean told them about the fire from the previous night. After describing the building and the evidence they collected, he said, “It was definitely arson, and probably our arsonist, but we won’t know until we get the lab results back.”
“And the body?”
“Body?” Harper squeaked. “There was a body?”
Oh, fuckin’ hell. He had not said anything to Harper and now looked at her expression of horror.
“Shit, man,” Brock winced. “I should’ve kept my mouth shut.”
Sean leaned forward, cupping the back of her head and leaning in close. “Babe, it was not in the fire. It was a homeless person who probably died of smoke inhalation from the fire next door.”
She sighed heavily and he watched as resignation settled in her eyes. They were quiet for